HVAC Installation in Thornton, CO
A new system here will heat from October through May and cool from June through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Adams County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
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A system that has to work most of the year, in both directions
In Thornton, a new furnace or heat pump is going to run from October through May. Winter nights average 16°F, and on the coldest ones the system has to keep firing for hours at a stretch to hold the house steady. Come summer, it switches jobs entirely, and afternoons averaging 87°F ask just as much of the cooling side.
Eleven months out of the year, something in the system is working. That is worth knowing when you are sizing a new one and choosing what goes in the attic or the side yard. Most homes here heat with gas, and whatever you install has to meet the current federal efficiency minimum, whether it is a furnace, a heat pump, or a system that does both.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 16°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 87°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- When should I replace my HVAC system?
- Once your furnace or air conditioner is old enough that repairs keep coming back, replacing it makes more sense than patching it again. An aging unit is more likely to fail on the coldest night of winter or the hottest afternoon of summer than one in good shape, and homes here need heat from October through May and cooling from June through August, so there's not much of the year either system gets to rest. Rising energy bills with no other explanation are another sign the equipment is losing efficiency. If a contractor tells you the repair cost is close to what a new system would run, that's usually the point to stop repairing.
- Should I replace my furnace and air conditioner at the same time?
- If both are old, replacing them together is usually the better move. A furnace and air conditioner installed at different times often end up mismatched, and mismatched equipment doesn't run as efficiently as a system designed to work together. Homes here need heat eight months a year and cooling three, so both halves get real use and wear at a similar pace. If one is much newer than the other, a contractor can tell you whether it's worth keeping for now.
- What happens during an HVAC installation?
- A contractor removes the old furnace, air conditioner, or both, and sets the new equipment in place, connecting it to your ducts, gas line or electrical circuit, and the vent or flue. They check the ductwork for leaks or sizing issues, since a new system moving air through bad ducts won't perform the way it should. Refrigerant lines get connected and tested for the air conditioner side, and the furnace gets checked for proper venting and gas pressure. Once everything is connected, the contractor runs the system through a full cycle to confirm it's heating and cooling correctly before they leave.